Schierholtz getting lost in roster shuffle

When Nate Schierholtz met with the media July 31 for the first time as a Phillie, he made one thing clear: he wanted the chance to be an everyday player.

The site was Washington, D.C., and Schierholtz had just come over from the Giants in the Hunter Pence trade. He played sparingly in San Francisco, and felt he had the tools to be a regular starter in the suddenly amoebic Phillies outfield.

He started nine of his first 10 games. His bat was subpar (.219 average), but his defense appeared to be an upgrade over Pence. It looked like a good fit.

Then Schierholtz hit two foul balls off his toe, missed nearly three weeks of play with a broken toe and faded from Phillies manager Charlie Manuel’s lineup — even after he returned. He’s started one game since returning Sept. 1.

Schierholtz stopped short of calling his situation frustrating, which is how he described his sporadic starts in San Francisco.

“I’m just trying to have good at-bats and trying to help the team any way I can,” Schierholtz said. “Obviously we’ve got a chance to make the playoffs, so that’s exciting. We’re all fighting for the same goal.”

John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown have been regular outfield starters of late, leaving one spot rotating between Juan Pierre, Laynce Nix and Schierholtz. Recent call-up Darin Ruf could also see some time there before season’s end.

“Yeah, well that’s tough [finding time for everyone]. I wanna see Schierholtz play. I wanna get Nix in the game because, like I said, I think Nix can hit,” Manuel said. “That makes it tough. Right now, we’re in a frame of mind where we wanna win every night.”